*Images with asterisks and text below in italics are from the Official Transformers web site:Crash and bash your way to victory in the TRANSFORMERS BOT SHOTS Battle Game! Will your OPTIMUS PRIME vehicle convert to robot mode and make you the winner? Find out when you crash your vehicles together! Crash and bash your way to BOT SHOTS victory!

Choose your OPTIMUS PRIME vehicle’s power, then crash into battle with your opponent. Two ways to win when you crash your vehicles together! If your vehicle converts to robot mode when your opponent’s doesn’t, you’re the winner! If both of your vehicles convert, the vehicle with the highest power wins! Blaster beats Fist, Fist beats Sword and Sword beats Blaster. If neither vehicle converts, crash them all over again!

Bot Shots are a game based expression of the Transformers brand that focuses on interactive game play between figures. Previous attempts at this such as "Attacktix" had relied on missile firing mechanisms and point systems as the primary elements of the gaming system. Bot Shots are much more action oriented and factor the transformation of the toy into the play pattern (which Attacktix did not).

In general, all Bot Shots figures have a vehicle mode and robot mode. The transformation is triggered by "bashing" the front of the vehicle into another Bash Bot (or a wall, a shoe...any solid surface really) causing a spring loaded feature to activate and transform the figure. This generally means revealing the robot head, arms angled out to the sides and feet along with robot mode details.

The key to the game system is a three sided hinged mechanism built into the chest. On each side is a sticker with one of three icons: a fist, a sword and a blaster - each representing a different type of combat. Presumably without your opponent seeing your selection, you turn the panel on the chest and then crash the two Bot Shots together and when the robot mode is revealed each player will know what "weapon" the other chose. The way the game works:

Blaster beats fist

Fist beats sword

Sword beats blaster

In the case of two Bot Shots getting the same icon each icon has a number on it indicating that character's level of that skill. Whoever has the higher number wins. It's a simple and fun system clearly developed for kids who enjoy a game element to their action figures (such as lines like Bakugan).

Super Bot Optimus Prime is a straight up redeco of the first Bot Shots Optimus Prime. Check out that review for a detailed look at the figure. This review will focus on the changes made to the figure for this release.

Robot Mode:
Optimus Prime is mostly made up of translucent blue plastic. Based on other releases of the figure, you'd think he'd have a dark shade of blue (or even a medium shade) but this one is a bit lighter. At first I wondered about the inspiration, but the more I thought about it the more I speculate that this might be related to the color of the blue crystal inside the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, which was also a lighter, translucent blue. If this is meant to represent a more "powerful" form of Optimus Prime, I like to think the blue may represent Matrix energy surging through his body. It's just speculation on my part, but I think it fits.

Optimus also has some black parts: his wheels. The rest of the color on the figure comes from the colors of his three panels in his chest and the paint used on his face. The eyes are painted yellow (matching Optimus Prime's G1 toy) and the mouthplate and nose are painted silver. It's not th emost striking set of colors, but it's also in line with the small amount of paint used on all the other Super Bots released so far.

There is no articulation to really discuss and Bot Shots don't come with any accessories. The main fun in this figure is in the "crashing" play pattern and seeing how many of your friends you can defeat! Super Bot Optimus Prime's scores break down as follows:

Blaster: 315

Fist: 330

Sword: 995

It seems with the release of more and more Super Bots, the numbers on them are increasing. Optimus Prime's score of 995 for the "Sword" panel is really quite high and puts him on par with Shockwave's 995 "Blaster Panel" rating. That said, he beats out Shockwave overall with his other scores making him one of the most potent figures in the line to date.

Transformation to Vehicle Mode:

Swing the front of the vehicle on the back over the robot head, this will also cause the arms to swing in.

Swing the robot feet up against the underside of the plane.

The transformation/crashing trigger mechanism works well. After about five tries the figure transformed without a problem. This is encouraging given that the sculpt has already been used three times over prior to this release.

Vehicle Mode:
In vehicle mode Optimus Prime is just straight up translucent blue plastic, with zero paint deco. Again this is not uncommon for the Super Bots, which typically have no paint apps in vehicle mode. I do wish something had been painted like the windows perhaps.

Final Thoughts:
Super Bot Optimus Prime marks the fifth time this mold has been released in the toy line, and that's a lot considering each time no changes were made to the figure. I'd only bother getting this iteration if you're really into the game and want a competitive piece to figure into your gameply. Otherwise, you'd have to be a completist to want to own this same sculpt several times over.